Donald Trump is an American Ahmadinejad | Michael Axworthy

Whoever’s president, the future of US-Iran relations isn’t rosy. Trump is populist and unpredictable, but Clinton’s hawkishness could mean a hardline approach

Over the years, Iran has sometimes played a disproportionately large part in US politics. Jimmy Carter blamed the 1979-81 embassy hostage crisis for his failure to secure a second term, and Reagan’s second term was damaged significantly by the Iran-Contra revelations.

The deal secured by the Obama administration with Iran over the nuclear question in July 2015 has proved violently divisive between Democrats and Republicans. So it was no surprise that Iran surfaced again in the debate between the presidential candidates on 26 September.

Iranians have not forgotten Clinton’s 2008 statement that America could “totally obliterate” Iran